Articles by Kevin Johnson - Page 621

Seattle-based effects company 3Leaf Audio has unveiled their latest offering called the Little Black Box. The pedal is an EQ/clean boost circuit that builder Spencer Doren says is designed to “add sizzle to your tone”. The Little Black Box’s EQ section has bass and treble boost controls with a mini-switch to toggle the affected treble frequency. The switch has two...

Norwegian group Diskord is about to release a mini-LP called Oscillations, and the group has offered a look at the release with a video for their song “Horrid Engine.” The band’s over-the-top heavy sound is anchored by bassist Eyvind Axelsen. “The music can perhaps be described as progressive, slightly weird, death metal with old-school elements and a quite prominent bass,”...

It looks like Black Sabbath will be returning to the studio again in 2015, according to Metal Hammer’s interview with Ozzy Osbourne. The band, anchored by bass wizard Geezer Butler, will reportedly record one more album with a final tour cycle. “The whole Sabbath experience this time around was great,” Ozzy told Metal Hammer. “We all made friends, we didn’t...

This week we check out an incredible project led by the good folks at Doner Designs, a father and son team that pieces together themed instruments to donate to charity. Steve and Richard Doner started playing bass and guitar, respectively, in 2008 as a bonding experience that grew into tinkering with upgrades and modifications. Now their hobby is benefiting their...

Les Claypool has always marched to the beat of his own drum. That’s why we’re celebrating his birthday today with a clip of the trio playing “To Defy the Laws of Tradition” from their 1989 radio performance on Stanford’s KZSU. The video captures the band’s eclectic energy as they start with a spacey atmosphere before kicking into the song’s groove....

Reed James Engineering has expanded their RJ NEO line of pickups with the RJ NEO Split Blade. Utilizing the same technology as the rest of the series, Reed James describes the new split blade as having the same mid-range and dynamics of their Vintage Vibe Jazz Bass pickups with the smoothness of of the RJ NEO. The RJ NEO Split...

British metal outfit Seven7 is gearing up for their upcoming third album, The Follower, which is due in November. Here’s their latest video for “Free,” which features bassist Arran McSporran keeping it heavy on his 6-string fretless.

After two years of development, TWA has released the Little Dipper Mk II envelope-controlled vocal formant filter. The new version of the pedal, which is based on the classic Colorsound Dipthonizer circuit, adds new control features as well as a fuller frequency response, lower noise floor, and improved tracking. Among the new features is a Low Boost switch that the...

Stevie Wonder’s Songs in the Key of Life is one of the most brilliant albums ever made. Musicians from all walks of life cite it as a heavy influence, and it was ranked at 57 on the Rolling Stone’s 500 greatest albums of all time. Wonder will be presenting the album in its entirety on an 11-date North American tour...

If you haven’t caught on to the incredible playing of Snow Owl, it’s high time you did. The bassist – real name Juan Garcia-Herreros – has been turning heads with a style that synthesizes all of his musical tastes with flavors of jazz, latin music, pop, rock and more. Part of that special blend comes from his multi-cultural experience. Garcia-Herreros...

Here’s a great clip of Umphrey’s McGee in the studio performing “Puppet String” from their latest release, Similar Skin. The band builds an atmosphere before bassist Ryan Stasik comes in at the 1:14 mark with a cool slap line that becomes the centerpiece of the song. The band goes on to groove hard on unison lines with huge drums provided...

Ever since Meghan Trainor released her single “All About That Bass,” we’ve been getting tons of email and Facebook messages about it. We can certainly appreciate the song’s chorus, “You know I’m all about that bass, no treble.” It has a nice ring to it. Postmodern Jukebox took things a step further with this swing version of the song with...